Automobile signal lamp



Jan. 8, 193s. E, KOENIG 1,987,013

I AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL LAMP Filed July so. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 Inventor I E Fae 77 By m A Ilomey Jan. 8, 1935.

AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL LAMP Filed July 30, 1930 E. KOENIG 1,987,013

2 Sheets- Shet 2 x Invenlor patented Jan. 8, 1935 Y AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL and particularly to' electric signal lamps adapted to'be mounted on different partsof an automobile body such: as onthe fenders; and: arrimportant- 5;1- obiect"of my invention-is to provide an electric lamp: off this character the energization of which is adapted; to controlled-by means which are operative upon the turning of the automobile to oiithe: character described which may be readily" installechinanyr ofla'variety of places on theautomobile-randsbehighlyivisible and whose signal will ubeclearly understoodi t V 'An'otheri-important'object of my invention is to, provide Ian energizingswi'tch in a signallamp ofthe character described which is completely enclosedwithimapart of the lamp and Wh-iclm'is operableabya cableleading to a part ofithe steering gear ofi'the automobile-which:moveswheneverthe. automobile. is. turned v toward one side or" the othen'xorzfronrsone. sideor theoth'er'toward a- 1 t where type of connection. is. used; them-- operating parts: must be, either extremely care. i

straight ahead: COIIISE.'; 1 I

25 Another important object: amnei'nvention' is to pr'ovide for. separably connecting: two sections ofrthe globev part-rot the-lamp in such away" that moisture: is excluded from the interior of the globe; despite: the fact? that? no supplementary vgaskets or?qzvackings:are'FutiIiLZeddnv the jointt- 7 Other: objects: andi'advantagesoff my invention will bera'apparent from aJreading'oIthe following description in. connection with t the drawings wherein for purposes or illustration lhaveshown 5-JJ'a preferred: embodiment of my invention.

Inthedrawingsrt; ;1 s Figure 1 is: a. side" elevational ViBWiOf the embodiment,. showing, the 'sx'vitch: operating cable conne'cteditothe itiemodmf. ani automobilesteering 40wge2tr.*. V

Figure 2a is terior arr angementsithereof; V

switch arm'tw" how the operating cable is connected to the. spring switch-arm:v

Referring in detail tot'hedrawingsg wherein 'rlilie' numerals: refer to like parts throughoutthesame,.the numeral 5 refers generally to the globe partofithe embodiment-which is shown in a form especially'suitable formounting;on-a'fender; cowl;

or other sheet metal part" of theiautcmobile, al-

though it isinot restricted to such location?" The" Another important object of my invention" is to'provide'asimpLy constructed and ruggedilamp attransverse vertical: sectional new: r throughstherlowerapart of. Flgurei- 1 showing ine g r -v p uscoping. them for some distance, the seepage of Figure :3'Li is apersiaectiVevieW: oi: thetspring 1 f" I joints described because ofjthe exposure of the 45 Figure '4 is an enlarged. sectional view showing:

v "Erne t-lawn,Bast an;Y.'

a ,7 Application" 111 3 471373 I i 1 i g 1 Claim. 77 73 I Myinvention relates-"generally to el'ectric lamps;

numeral 6 refers generally tothe base part of thelamp which: contains the switch and isar-e rangedito pass through anopening in and will usually be located below or at: the back ofithe sheet metalpart onwhich thelampis mounted;

soasi to supportthe globe-part5at theupperor 'frontsid'er': A

Lherglobe part-5 is composed oi thefglass or other similar? translucent ortransparent upper hollow hemisphere 7 and the opaque; preferably in the. formof; driving rain or: melting snow'will bepositively excluded: from. the interior oi the globe: part", despite the. absence ofi. any. packing or; a; gasket inxthe joint. There are 'many ex amplesi thes prior EItS'Of connections of this generak type wherein the. upper section of the! '2 globe is set into the: lower section. oftherglobe 1 a packing'ongasketused to makesthe jointfwater proof; Itlist a: part. of common knowledge fully'manufacturedr and fittedton somem eans provided: fonzcompressing one of the pants closely upon the other to achieve the necessarymoisture;

' excludinggconta'ctof theparts; and thattarm'ois vture;proofixjoint secured in either of: thesewaysis not only subject to deterioration but. subject". to become inseparable because of corrosion;v rust;- etc. which develops therein due to slight seepage of moisture. ,Itis obviouslthat presently knowm materials which are suitable for gaskets and:

packingst for joints of this type deteriorate when contacted by the moisture andother elements.

, 40 I have discovered that by setting the. lower globe part into, the upper vglobe part, and telemoisture found unavoidable in the type of prior space'between theparts todriving rain andother moisture; is entirely prevented. Thisis-due to" the-fact that the lower end of the upper globevpartoverhangs and" surrounds the upper-end of' the lower globe part in sucha way that any rain or":tallingwater such as would result from snow on the globe melting, which may strike or flow downwardly-"or si'dewise' on or against the globe; will be positively directed outwardly of the sides of the lower globe part and'shedded" toa point being above the lower end of the upper globe part there-is no possibility of water reaching into'the joint unless the water be forced upwardly directly thereat, a circumstance which will-not ordinarily occur.

In order to provide a simple yet rugged'and eflicient joining of the upper and lower globe parts in the manner indicated above and to increase further the. shedding activity of the loweryend' portion of the upper globe part, I have constructed the lower globe part with an exterior screw thread near its upper end to be received into a radially outwardly outset interiorly screw threaded annular portion 9 on the lowerrend of the upper globe section. It will be obvious that water flowing down the outside of the upper globe part will be thrown radially outwardly from. the side of the globe and away from thejoint by theoutstanding annulus 9. This manner of joining the globe parts enables conveniently con-..

structing the globe parts in approximately true hemispherical form so that they will form an ap 251v proximately perfect sphere'when joined.

{I'hje'described waterproof manner of assembling the upper and lower parts of the globe renders the useof gaskets and packings unnecessary and undesirable; a very unusual feature where glass and ;meta1 parts are-joined, and the screw. threads'on the lower globe part and in the upper globe partv need, begonly sufiiciently accurate and matched to preyent ,-separation and rattling. of the parts under. jordinary service conditions. :Because of 5; the positive exclusionof moisture from the joint with its accompanying corrosion and rust, the globe parts may be separated easily and without such straining of the parts as might damage either one or both of themor causing splitting or. 40.; brea'king of. the upper globe should it be made of J lower end of the dielectric body 22 and. forms a glass or other frangible material.

Opposite sides of the upper globe partwill usui.

ally the providedwith direction indicating arrows or other symbols which are rendered highly visi- .,.ble when .thesignal lamp is energized.

The preferably metallic lower globe part 8 is provided with an opening 8a which is surrounded by a relatively thick'tapering'annulus 10 which depends from the bottom thereof as shownin Hi -Fig. 2.." Into. the opening 8a is pressedor otherwise-suitably secured the upper portion 11a of the tubular'rbase member 1150 that the upper portion 11a extends upwardly into the interior 1 of the hemisphere 8 for some distance and the 55. "remaimng portion of the basemember depends 60. automobile-on which the lamp is being installed,

until thebottom of the annulus 10 rests upon the topjsurfa'ce of the fender 'orthe like. 7

Justbelow the bottom of the annulus 10 the. 'said remaining portion of the tubular base member is'eXteriorIy screw threaded as indicated at.

13am" accommodate the clamping nut 13 which fender orthe like so as to. bring thesaid bottom 7 of the annulus 10 into forcible engagement with material.

A suit-. able washer or gasket 12 may be interposed be-' tween the bottom of the annulus 10 and the top. 75 surface of the fender or interposed between the underside of the fender and the clamping nut, as may be desired.

Having'a major portion thereof telescoped into and secured inplace in the tubular base member 11 from the lower end thereof is the generally cylindrical dielectric body 22 which carries the switch mechanism, for energizing and deenergizing the, electric bulb B which is mounted in the portion 11a of the base member which acts as a socket therefor, having the bayonet slot34 to receive the bayonet. commonionflthis type; 01 1mm). As shown in Figure2the upper end of the dielec- ;tricbody 22 is spaced from the lower end of the base of the bulb B.

The'top' andone side of the dielectric body is cutaway-to provide the recess 22a in which works the spring switch arm 32. The spring switch arm '32is S-shaped and is held in normally erect position by a screw 31 which passes through an opening 32a'provided in the lower hook of the arm andthreadsinto the upperend of'a passage 29.,whoseupper end opens through thefloor of;

therecess 22a. The lower end.- of; the passage ating cable 14 isreleased.

At the side of the dielectric body 22 opposite the recess 22:; is abore 23whichhas. an upper reduced p.0rtion26 and a lower reduced portion 2'].- Y

Withinthe bore, 23 is a plungericontactwhich a portion .24s1idable in the reduced boreiportion 26 forengaging the remaining bulb base contact 35. A helical 'spring25 conflnedxin the bore 23" works against the head24a in the lower end'of the plunger-contact which slides in the bore 23,

whereby the plunger contact portion 24 is nor- .mally yieldably engaged with the bulb base. contact,.35. v.The bore portion 27 opens through the passage through which a.wire, 20.passes-to conperforms thesame ofliceas the b'ore portion 27,: receiving the wire v19. which is clamped in contact with-thescrew 31 by the set screw'30..

The lower-end ofthe exposedpart of the dialectric body is exteriorlyscrew. threaded as indicated at 21 toaccommodate a knurled tubular-wire pro-1 'tecting knob-C. of conventional type. j

One end. of .the operating, cable 14.15 connec to a movable member of the steeringygeariof the automobileby means of a suitable form of clamp such as that designated 17 in'Figure 1. 'f'I'hei oppo'-.

site end of-the; cable l-izpasses' through ahole.

14a in the side of the tubular base member 11 and is connectednto: the middle of the spring 37 wherein it is anchored by a set screw 38. The plug 37-is located in a hole 36 at themiddle 10f .the s r' ,switch-xarm'32 with th e is. used toforcibly engage the underside of the lung 8 head or the plug engaging the side of the switch arm opposite that at which the. cable 14 is: located- Itis obviousthat the lower end .of the cable 14 will be connected to ,a member of the steering gear inisuch a manner that whilethe steering gearis inv switch arm. 32 byla headed plug-.37 of dielectric:

The terminal ofthecable is inserted. in an axial opening in the plain endof the plug the straight ahead position the springswitcharm 32 will be heldaway from-the'bulb basecontact 33 by the cable 14; andthat while the steering.

Should the steering gear be turned to the opposite side, the spring switch arm 32 will simply be flexed and separated from the bulb base contact 33 as described, the travel of cable 14 beyond the position it occupies in the straight aheadpposition of the steering gear being compensated for by the presence of a spring 16 incorporated therein for this purpose, and the lamp will remain dark; while a similar lamp (not shown) which may be similarly provided and arranged on the opposite side of the automobile is in operation to indicate the turn to that side.

Although I have shown and described herein a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be definitely understood that I do not desire to limit my invention thereto, and any change or changes may be made in materials and in the structure and arrangement of parts within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:--

A lamp for mounting on an automobile fender or the.like,.said lamp comprising a tubular base extending through an opening provided in the fender to receive the same, a globe at one end of the base arranged to abut the fender about the opening therein, clamping means on the base for engaging the reverse side of the fender, the saidone end of the base being formed to support a bulb within the globe, and having a bulb therein, switch means for the bulb mounted in the other end of the base, and switch operating 

